#BoilerNotes
- Purdue won its second straight in-season tournament title with its 96-71 win over Auburn ... it marked the second straight year that Purdue defeated an SEC team for the title (Florida in last year's Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic) ... the margin of victory in the two clinching victories has been a combined 40 points.
- Two of Matt Painter's three in-season tournament titles have come against Bruce Pearl ... Purdue defeated Tennessee in the 2009 Paradise Jam.
- Purdue has won nine straight in-season tournament games dating to the 2014 EASports Maui Invitational ... the streak can go to 10 games with a win on Saturday against NJIT, as part of the Cancun Challenge.
- Purdue went 17-of-26 from 3-point range, making the second-most 3-pointers in a game in school history (18 vs. Vermont; Nov. 15, 2015) ... Purdue's 65.4 percent shooting from deep was the highest percentage in school history with a minimum of 20 attempts ... in the two games in Cancun, Purdue was 17-of-22 (.773) from long distance in the second half.
- Purdue's 64.3 percent shooting from the field was the 19th-best percentage in school history and highest of the Painter era ... Purdue's 76.0 percent shooting in the second half was the 14th-best percentage in a half in school history.
- Purdue had six players score in double figures for the first time since Nov. 15, 2015, vs. Vermont.
- Purdue has had seven, 20-point individual efforts in the season's first five games.
- Purdue has now won 82 straight games when scoring over 90 points.
- Carsen Edwards recorded his first career 20-point game with 21 points ... he went 4-of-5 from long distance after entering the game 2-of-16 from deep.
- Vincent Edwards scored all 15 of his points in the second half, going 5-of-5 from the floor ... Edwards is now shooting 10-of-20 (.500) from long distance.
- Caleb Swanigan recorded his fourth double-double of the season and third straight with a 14-point, 10-rebound effort ... Swanigan now has 12 career double-doubles.
- Dakota Mathias went 4-of-7 from deep and in the two games in Cancun, went a combined 10-of-14 (.714) from long distance ... after setting career highs in points (25) and rebounds (6) last night, Mathias set a career high in assists (7) vs. Auburn ... Mathias has now made 99 career 3-pointers and since the start of last February, is 35-of-69 (.507).
- P.J. Thompson tallied a season-high 15 points with three rebounds and two assists ... in Purdue's two tournament wins over the last two years, both against SEC foes, Thompson has averaged 15.0 points per game (6-of-12 3Ps).
- Isaac Haas recorded his third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds ... he tied a career high in assists (2) vs. Auburn.
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) With 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas clogging the middle, No. 17 Purdue figures to get plenty of chances to show it can shoot from the outside.
The Boilermakers responded Wednesday night with a dizzying display of 3-point shooting.
Carsen Edwards broke out of his shooting slump with 21 points and Purdue shot 17 of 26 from 3-point range to beat Auburn 96-71 and capture the Cancun Challenge title.
P.J. Thompson and Vincent Edwards each added 15 points for the Boilermakers (4-1), who had six players score in double figures in their third straight win since falling to national champion Villanova.
''We got a good mix of drives and transition opportunities,'' Purdue coach Matt Painter said. ''And then when we got the ball inside I thought our guys made good decisions. They jumped a couple screens and our guys just stopped and shot the basketball.''
Carsen Edwards, a highly recruited freshman, made 4 of 5 shots from behind the arc. He hit two 3s and two free throws in a 16-4 run midway through the second half that broke open a close game.
''I wasn't trying to force anything,'' Edwards said. ''Things were just falling for me. Just getting into the flow of the game and taking shots when I'm open.''
Purdue shot 64 percent from the field and it was the second-most 3-pointers made in a game behind the 18 it had last season against Vermont.
Danjel Purifoy scored 22 points and Mustapha Heron added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers (4-1), who were seeking their first 5-0 start since 2004-05.
''To go ahead and win this game and try to be nationally ranked on Monday, you've got to have special,'' Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. ''We didn't get special out of the coaching staff and we didn't get special out of the players.''
Purdue hit 7 of its first 12 3-point attempts in racing to a 38-27 lead. Auburn responded with a 12-0 run before Edwards' 3-pointer to close the half put Purdue back ahead 43-41.
Purdue hit 9 of 12 3s in the second half.
''At times we've got four shooters on the floor with a big (man),'' Vincent Edwards said. ''We can mix up any combination.''
UP NEXT
Auburn: Faces USC Upstate on Tuesday in its lone home game in a five-game stretch. The Tigers visit UAB and play neutral site games against Boston College, Oklahoma and UConn before beginning SEC play.
Purdue: Returns home to face NJIT on Saturday before a showdown next Wednesday at No. 10 Louisville.